American Living In Germany Lists All The Reasons Why He Wouldn’t Go Back, And It’s Painfully Accurate
The U.S. Department of State estimates that about 9 million U.S. citizens are living abroad. Moreover, nearly 1 in 4 American expats are “seriously considering” or “planning” to renounce their U.S. citizenship, a survey from Greenback Expat Tax Services found. So you can’t help but wonder what exactly there is across the sea so appealing for Americans that they decide to settle down there for good.
This candid TikTok video from an American guy living in Berlin may bring us some answers. Jacobarthur30 has recently shared a video in response to another TikToker who asked “If you’re an American living abroad, please tell me why you would never go back?”
So he listed all the reasons why that may sound really straightforward and somewhat painful to hear, but they will surely make you stop and reflect on all these things that have been normalized in the American way of life.
This American guy living in Berlin has recently shared a very candid video explaining why he doesn’t want to go back to the States
@jacobarthur30But I do miss the Mexican food #stitch with @Brittney Ariane Vela #usa #america #americaningermany #emigration #germany♬ original sound – An American human in Berlin
Here are all the reasons he listed in a video, making us wonder
Image credits: jacobarthur30
First off, we should take into account the dreaded tax season that puts a strain on filers every year. It turned out that Americans overseas face such a burden with US tax filing requirements that 4 out of 10 say they’re willing to ditch their citizenship because of that. This is because U.S. citizens and resident aliens must file taxes and cover what they owe, regardless of where they live. In some cases, that means that expats are obliged to pay taxes in two places, which is stressful just thinking of it.
The second reason may have to do with the fact that many expats were dismayed by the U.S. government. The same Greenback survey showed that not only the coronavirus pandemic may have motivated some to stay abroad long term, but that a majority, 60% of respondents, disapproved of the American government’s crisis management. What’s even more shocking is that 85% of expats felt like they were not represented fairly by the government.
When it comes to reasons why Americans decide to go abroad, it turns out they have to do more with lifestyle and its quality rather than work or career opportunities. According to The Future of Working Abroad report, Americans are inclined to move abroad for love and seek out adventure in the first place.
In a survey of 8,313 working expats living in 175 destinations, just 36% of Americans said their primary reason for moving abroad was related to their job, compared with 47% of global expats who gave the same reason.
Having said that, a better work-life balance abroad is also a huge motivation for leaving the US. A recent Gallup report found that American workers are among the most stressed employees in the world, with rates of daily stress, worry, sadness and anger trending upward since 2009 and made worse during the pandemic. Expats who work in the US think their own work-life balance is worse (29% negative) than those of expats working anywhere else (16% negative), according to the Internations report.
Image credits: jacobarthur30
And this is what other people commented
i just don't understand how a lot of Americans can say their country is the greatest in the world with all that i do feel sorry for them
The guy touched on it in his piece. Many Americans haven't traveled at all, most haven't lived abroad; they have nothing to compare it to, and believe the lies and half-truths they've been told since birth. Even reasonable people get their noses out of joint if you criticize the place. They've been told for so long they're the best that they can't handle evidence to the contrary.
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He actually got away from his family. Good for him. That bit about black friday after thanks giving is very true. I'm afraid it will never get any better in the USA because of the bible thumping ignorance and intolerance. The politicians don't care. I really feel bad for the many americans having to deal with this sh!t and sincerely hope that one day it WILL get better. Merry Christmas.
As a German, my impression is that this was definitely more about his family than the country itself. And we have a lot of the same or similar problems that the US has here anyway.
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As an American who has lived here my entire life, I have to say I agree with OP! I'm ashamed to be from America at times.
Just after Trump was elected, someone put up a petition on change.org for Minnesota to secede and join Canada. I'm from Minnesota. I signed, along with about 10,000 people. It wasn't serious of course, but it was a nice daydream. Not that Canada is perfect, but seems better than here. About the only two good things I see about the US now is 1) National parks, and 2) How we integrate refugees into society instead of locking them up in camps. In my metro area (St. Paul, Minnesota), we have a long history of taking in refugees from all over the world. Minnesota has the most refugees per capita of any state. (18 percent of children in Minnesota is either a child of an immigrant or were themselves born.I grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of Vietnamese, Laotian, and Hmong refugees and no place truly feels like home until I'm back in that area and see their faces. (I'm of Norwegian descent myself.) Now we have a huge population of Somalis and Ethiopians. Minnesota is the great melting pot.
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i just don't understand how a lot of Americans can say their country is the greatest in the world with all that i do feel sorry for them
The guy touched on it in his piece. Many Americans haven't traveled at all, most haven't lived abroad; they have nothing to compare it to, and believe the lies and half-truths they've been told since birth. Even reasonable people get their noses out of joint if you criticize the place. They've been told for so long they're the best that they can't handle evidence to the contrary.
Load More Replies... He actually got away from his family. Good for him. That bit about black friday after thanks giving is very true. I'm afraid it will never get any better in the USA because of the bible thumping ignorance and intolerance. The politicians don't care. I really feel bad for the many americans having to deal with this sh!t and sincerely hope that one day it WILL get better. Merry Christmas.
As a German, my impression is that this was definitely more about his family than the country itself. And we have a lot of the same or similar problems that the US has here anyway.
Load More Replies... As an American who has lived here my entire life, I have to say I agree with OP! I'm ashamed to be from America at times.
Just after Trump was elected, someone put up a petition on change.org for Minnesota to secede and join Canada. I'm from Minnesota. I signed, along with about 10,000 people. It wasn't serious of course, but it was a nice daydream. Not that Canada is perfect, but seems better than here. About the only two good things I see about the US now is 1) National parks, and 2) How we integrate refugees into society instead of locking them up in camps. In my metro area (St. Paul, Minnesota), we have a long history of taking in refugees from all over the world. Minnesota has the most refugees per capita of any state. (18 percent of children in Minnesota is either a child of an immigrant or were themselves born.I grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of Vietnamese, Laotian, and Hmong refugees and no place truly feels like home until I'm back in that area and see their faces. (I'm of Norwegian descent myself.) Now we have a huge population of Somalis and Ethiopians. Minnesota is the great melting pot.
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